For me it was was definitely the 80's into the early 90's. With artists like Boston, Bon Jovi and Dire Straits in their prime and album after album of pure gold being released, the 80's was a truly revolutionary period for new music and provided so many new styles for modern artists to work with. Bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden were redefining genres with their unique takes on the common rock music at the time and even the most memorable pop hits of the time have made a real contribution to music today, so in my opinion this era was certainly amongst the best. I just wish I could've been alive to witness it!